Worlds Apart
by titaundomiel
Summary: An Eastern Promises fic. A year after the events of the movie Nikolai and Anna find each other again and start a rather unusual relationship. One day Nikolai says he has had enough…
1. Chapter 1

" Worlds apart "

**I**

Every Tuesday was the same. Late shift at the hospital. Her mother was suspicious. She knew that if her daughter wanted, she could only work during the day but instead she had to work this one night.

Anna would go every Tuesday night to the park. It was the one thing that both separated and connected them. She missed him every other day of the week. It was stupid because she now had Christine, but every time she looked at the baby girl, she would see him. His eyes…that unreadable expression. He gave her a rush like a drug. He was her addiction and she knew it.

In the beginning she used to think that he reminded her of her father but not anymore.

There it was. The black car…her ride.

They could almost say that the room had their smell. It was funny how they always managed to end up in the same room.

Her hair was covering her face, like a veil, maybe protecting her from him. He loved her hair. It was the first thing in her that had caught his attention. He ran his fingers through it so that he could look at her eyes.

She looked back showing him nothing but raw emotion: lust, desire, passion… She only wore that look when they were making love.

When they were reaching the climax she used to hold him so tight that her nails dug into his skin becoming his new tattoos.

Every sin leaves a mark, and this encounters were nothing but sinful.

He couldn't remember how they got caught in this routine anymore. Tuesday, 11 o'clock, park, hotel. The first time she came to him was exactly one year after Christine's birth day. Then they started meeting at the park to talk until one day he asked her if she wanted to come to the hotel they were now spending the night in.

Their relationship became something else. What? He couldn't tell. What he knew was that Kirill was asking questions and soon he would discover everything. He had to protect her (and himself).

Moans, sweat, shivers… This feeling would get her through the week until she met him again. She had reached a point where she couldn't live without it.

He got up to get a glass of vodka, his body fully exposed to her. She couldn't take her eyes off his tattoos. By then she already knew them all except their meaning. She knew they were prison tattoos and was aware of their importance, especially the stars.

He sat on the side of the bed, his back turned to her. He felt the vodka run through his veins.

She pulled herself up so she could be leveled with him and see his face. She kissed his shoulder.

He smiled, mostly to himself. He did not deserve someone like her. As he had said before, "stay away from people like me".

She recognized that smile; she knew exactly what he was thinking.

"I missed you…" she confessed

He had nothing in his vocabulary right now to answer her. He had missed her too but he couldn't say that. He had a plan. He had to push her away as soon as possible to avoid more damage.

"I don't want to do this anymore" he kept staring at the floor.

She was… anger flood through her body.

"What?"

He kept his eyes on the floor. Lying to her right now was the hardest thing he had ever done.

"Look at me!" she demanded

He didn't.

"Look at me, Nikolai!"

The use of his name startled him so he finally did what she asked.

She looked hurt. It stained his heart.

Wasn't he going to say anything else? Wasn't she worth it?

"At least have the courage to face me while you're saying that!" she screamed.

She felt ashamed for not being able to control her emotions. Anna suddenly felt exposed, naked in front of this man that she pretended to know. How could she be so naïve? She's known that men like Nikolai tended to use women and then leave them on the side of the road. She was lucky to be alive.

She began dressing up quickly. Good that she was wearing a dress today so that she could leave faster.

Nikolai did not move one inch. He was stuck to the bed. He had promised himself that he would let her go. He couldn't be selfish this time.

She went to the door and all the courage she had gathered to leave him disappeared when she finally opened the door. Why was it being so hard? It wasn't like she loved him. Did she?

She turned and Nikolai was still in the same position but when he realised that she was hesitating he looked up and stared at her. Was it the last time they would be together? Everything seemed to happen in slow motion. They couldn't take their eyes off each other.

As she finally turned to leave, Nikolai got up, closed the door and spun her around. She felt trapped and he… he didn't know what he was doing. So much for promises…

He was so close to her, and naked, she could barely control herself. This was a battle and she wasn't about to loose it.

"Sorry" he simply said.

She took a deep breath and spoke.

"You don't get to be sorry…"

He looked at her with a questioning look.

"And you don't get to use me like you do with the girls you…your family owns" she was getting more upset.

He wanted to say that she was wrong but this was actually helping with his plan. He stepped back so she could leave, his nakedness being noticed by both of them.

She turned to leave but stopped halfway to look at him.

"I'm not like them…" she hesitated "I'm not like Tatiana"

With this she left.

Nikolai was left alone in the room.

"You're right…"


	2. Chapter 2

**II**

Every day passed as if the last one never was… for three years this was what Nikolai felt. Since he has seen her for the last time his life felt like… nothing at all. He was living in _the zone_, finally. This was probably for the best. He could now do his job better.

Kirill was the boss but it could be said that the person who really run "the family" was Nikolai. He would take care of all the businesses, import/export, prostitutes… He was dead inside so his conscience did not get in the way. He was still working undercover but he was gradually giving less and less information. He wanted to punish himself so he wasn't getting out of this family any time soon.

The restaurant was closed during the afternoon. It was a nice place to spend time in. He would pick the bottle of vodka, seat by the counter and smoke a cigarette. Some afternoons, when Kirill insisted, they would go to the brothel. Nikolai would pick a girl, have sex with her while Kirill watched, get dressed and get out. It was a kind of agreement. He knew exactly how Kirill felt about him so this was a way of keeping his boss interested.

But this calm afternoon was spent at the restaurant. Calm until…

Mikhail, their driver, entered the room…

"Kirill…" he said urgently, his voice failing.

"What happened?" Nikolai approached him, worried.

He tried to regain his breath, "Shot!"

Nikolai was stunned…how could have this happened?

"Where is he?"

"Car"

Mikhail's English was awful. He used to make sentences with only one word. Luckily this time one word sentences were enough.

"Bring the car to garage, understand!"

Mikhail nodded.

"Kirill has to come inside…"

Mikhail's eyes widen, "Hospital…Boss has to go to hospital"

Six word sentence, impressive.

"On nje mozjet" ("He can't")

"Mamma!"

The afternoon nap was finished for the little girl. She was now four years old so this naps tended to fade away.

"Hi, little _matrioska_. Have you slept well?"

The little girl nodded, smiling.

Anna was finally happy. She was able to reconstruct her life after the last time she had been with Nikolai. She moved out of her mother's and bought a house for herself. Well, she bought the house with her boyfriend, James. She had met him at the hospital. He was a doctor from Australia who had come to live in London two years ago. They started a relationship not long after that.

He was very handsome, light hair, a three day beard. He looked like an adventurer, which caught her attention the first time she met him. James was gentle and a good father and her mother couldn't be happier for her. Helen was already talking about marriage but Anna didn't see the point.

"Do you want some milk?" she asked the little girl, who was seated on the kitchen table.

"Yes, please"

"Nice girl!"

Anna kissed her daughter's forehead.

She was preparing the milk for her daughter when James arrived.

"Hi, babe" he hugged Anna

She smiled and kissed him.

"James… Christine called him.

"Hello, lady" James said with a mocking tone picking her up and swinging her around. Christine's laughter filled the room.

"Do you want to paly outside?" he asked the girl

"Yes!"

Anna smiled watching them leave.

"But she has to drink her milk first, James" she called

"Yes, mom" he mocked her as he walked back to the kitchen.

The phone rang when she was giving the milk to her daughter.

"Can you watch her for me?" Anna asked James

"Sure"

Anna picked up the phone and what she heard on the other side of the line caught her breath.

"Anna" the voice was urgent "I need your help!"

She tried to hide her emotions before she went to the kitchen. She didn't want James wondering where she was going. She took a deep breath before entering the kitchen.

"I need to take care of something; ok" she said too quickly "Can you stay with Christine while I'm gone?"

"Yes, of course" he said

As soon as she heard the word yes she was out of the kitchen.

While she opened the door to leave the house James came after her, "Is everything ok?"

She turned, hiding her urgency, "Yes. Don't worry, is just a friend of mine with "boyfriend problems"" she lied and left, leaving James alone in the room.

A/N - Please, review and let me know if I should continue with this story...


	3. Chapter 3

**III**

Kirill tossed and turned. The pain was excruciating and Nikolai felt helpless. He couldn't do anything to help. He actually thought that Kirill was beginning to get a fever.

Mikhail run around asking Nikolai what he could do but the answer was always the same, "Wait"

They were in the basement so that Kirill's screams were not heard.

"_Djerzitjeso_...just a little longer"Nikolai reassured him. (Hold on)

Nikolai genuinely cared for Kirill. Sometimes he pitied him but above all he loved him like a brother. He was his only family and although their relationship wasn't the most conventional one, they could trust each other. The death of Kirill would make another part of him die.

She replayed in her mind the phone call. Why was she doing this? She didn't know what the answer was.

Has she got everything she needed?

Someone was at the door. Nikolai immediately left Kirill's side to go upstairs.

"_Brat_, don't leave me" Kirill pleaded. (Brother)

Nikolai obeyed.

"Mikhail, open the door."

Mikhail did as Nikolai said.

She remembered the place exactly as it was. They haven't changed one bit. Sadly…

"Do you want help?" the man asked

She was so lost in her thoughts that the man that accompanied her had to repeat the question.

"Thank you"

She handed him the bag for him to carry it.

"_Djerzitjeso_, Kirill"

Nikolai had already taken off his jacket and was applying pressure on the wound. Kirill had been shot on the stomach and he would probably need surgery but it was almost impossible to get out without the police asking questions.

He couldn't control this for much longer.

Suddenly she entered the room bringing with her a light that was only seen in the days of summer. The days that he did not witnessed anymore.

"Oh my god" Anna signed. This was looking pretty bad.

"Can you do anything?" Nikolai asked her.

She examined the wound but the task was showing it self as a difficult one because Kirill couldn't stop moving.

"Can you do anything?" Nikolai insisted.

She was feeling pressured and it was contributing to her already nervousness.

"Shut it!" she eventually shouted at him "I'm not a surgeon; I'm a midwife…I… if you want to help just shut up!" she was hesitating suddenly being very well aware of his presence "And get me my bag"

Nikolai did as she said. Inside the bag, Anna had medical instruments most of them to stitch, some bandages and painkillers.

"Can you give me those bandages?"

They worked as a team, pushing aside all the feelings they had for each other, feelings that were long forgotten but came lurking every time their hands touched, while helping Kirill.

She eventually managed to stitch the wound and put a bandage around Kirill's abdomen. She was actually impressed that Kirill did not protest about the fact that SHE was the one Nikolai called to help him. She had lots of reasons to let him die and Kirill was very jealous of her.

"Can you get me a cup of water?" Anna asked Mikhail

He nodded and did as she asked.

He came back almost immediately with the water. Anna went through the medicine she had brought and picked one pill that she gave to Kirill.

"Drink!" she told him.

"What is that?" Nikolai asked.

She signed, "Do you trust me or not?"

He looked at her with an apologetic look. He wasn't in the position to ask questions.

Anna turned to Kirill, "It's good for the pain…"

Kirill took the pill, "_Spasibo_" (Thank you)

Kirill's blood was all over his hands, his shirt and it seemed, inside his skin. They were forever bounded for the best or for the worst.

Anna left the room where Kirill was in and met Nikolai in the hallway. Her hands were also bloody. At the time she forgot to put some gloves on.

Nikolai was with his back against the wall and his head was down, but when she came into the hallway he couldn't help but look at her. They stood there staring at each other for a moment until it became awkward. She had to resist him.

"I left some pills on the table. It will last him for a week, if you need more you'll have to get a prescription. But I don't think that's a problem for you people" she added coldly.

He nodded. He shouldn't have brought this on her; he was being selfish when he called her.

"Thank you…" he whispered

She smiled ironically. What was she thinking when she came here.

She turned to leave but…

"Wait" Nikolai stopped her.

She turned slowly, not wanting to hear what he had to say.

"You should wash hands…" he smiled to her.

She smiled too. He was right; people would wonder what had happened to her, people like James.

He waited for her in the restaurant's dinning room while she went to the bathroom. He had missed her face, her voice, her touch, even her smell… He was going crazy. He had been doing so good pretending that he was dead and then he called her and everything went back to square one.

Anna looked at herself in the mirror. Why had she come?

She washed her hands and watched as the blood run down the sink. She was not only trying to wash the events of that afternoon away but also wash Nikolai away from her life. It wasn't easy, but no one ever said that life was easy.

Looking at the bright side she was actually the lucky one. She had her family, Christine, James; Nikolai was alone…

She came into the dinning room and saw Nikolai by the counter drinking vodka. She approached him…

"It's time for me to go…" she told him.

He nodded, looking away from her; what else should he do?

"Do you want drink?" he asked: his accent thick.

She smiled ironically, again…

"I can't believe I'm doing this…" she repeated running a hand through her hair.

"Is that 'yes'?" he asked hiding his smile.

She nodded not wanting her mouth to be the weapon of the crime.

He gave her a glass and poured some vodka in it. She drank it all at once surprising Nikolai. She noticed that.

She looked at him, "My dad was Russian…" she said matter-of-factly.

He laughed at that, she was something else. How had he been able to let her go?

"How did you get my phone number?" she asked, trying to make small talk.

"I have friend…"

"Of course…" she interrupted him. He had lots of friends like the ones that found her number.

They stared at each other silently. There were so many things to be said but none of them did.

"Want more?" he asked her referring to the vodka.

"No…I…" she was interrupted by her cell phone.

"Hello…" she talked to the other side of the line, "Yes, I know. I'm sorry I lost track of time…Of course I'm going to dinner. Ok. See you in a minute. Bye, James."

Nikolai pretended that he did not hear the name she had just said. If she wanted she would explain.

She looked at him looking for some kind of reaction. She felt disappointed because Nikolai looked like he couldn't care one bit.

"Do you need ride?" he asked her, remembering the past as he talked. She remembered it too.

"No, thank you…I have my bike outside" she told him.

He smiled, "Ural…"

"Yes" she answered, a smile dancing in her lips, "It's still running"

He went with her to the door and opened it. She was about to leave when…

"Kirill…he will be ok" she told him.

"_Spasibo_" he whispered, holding her hand which she pulled away almost immediately as if his touch burned.

After that, she left, leaving Nikolai alone in the big room.

**  
A/N** - I do not own the characters, except James and Mikhail. I hope the Russian is right. Please, review!


	4. Chapter 4

**IV**

Mikhail opened the door to Kirill's house while Nikolai carried Kirill, which was semi-conscious, by the arm. His boss owned a flat in central London. After his father went to prison, Kirill bought this apartment because as he had said "was modern as f". The truth was that he didn't want to live in the same place where Semyon had lived. He wanted people to believe he was making on his own; make a statement.

He took Kirill to his room and laid him on the bed with the help of Mikhail. He covered him and gave him his pill. He should start thinking about a way to get a new prescription. Anna said that the ones they already had would only get Kirill through the week.

Mikhail waited for Nikolai in the living room; waited for Nikolai to tell him what to do.

"You stay here with boss, ok" Nikolai told him

Mikhail nodded. What Nikolai said was as important as what Kirill said.

"If you need something or something happens, don't call me" Nikolai added.

He had had enough for one day, he just wanted to go home and sleep.

Anna sat on the sofa. Dinner had been silent, not because James was upset; it was Anna who did not want to talk. She didn't want to lie any more than she had already done. James was a perfect guy and she should feel like the luckiest woman alive. Then why she didn't? Why today she felt like running away to that Russian restaurant and… she could not even think about what she would do when she got there. Just thinking about it would make her get uncomfortable in her own skin.

Although she tried not to think about Nikolai, tonight she couldn't help it. As she was laid on the sofa at 4 o'clock in the morning she remembered the Tuesday nights they spent together at the hotel. She remembered every little detail of each one. They had been on that routine for almost three months. 13 nights… She wouldn't trade the experience for anything, not even James. The guilt stained her heart. She must be a horrible person to think like this.

"Hey…" James said as he approached her and sat on the floor facing her.

She smiled and pulled herself up to a sitting position so that James could seat beside her.

"Why aren't you in bed?" he asked her tenderly, holding her hand.

"I can't sleep…"

He smiled at her, "I think that one is obvious…" he said mocking her, "A lot on your mind?"

She looked down because she didn't want to answer him.

"What happened in the afternoon?"

She had to think fast…

"Nothing", she got closer to him, "I just missed you…"

She sat on his lap, legs around his body. She could feel that he was getting excited by her behavior and she believed that for as long as it lasted she could pretend that Nikolai was there with her in her living room.

As he was driving to his place he couldn't forget the phone call she received. James. Who was he?

Who was he fooling? Only himself. Three years was enough time to get married or at least fell in love and move in with someone. Not that Nikolai knew it by personal experience.

The thought of Anna with someone else not only made his stomach turn with jealousy but also his car. He was headed somewhere else.

She kissed him passionately, surprising James. He had never seen her behaving this way. She was only like that with Nikolai but her boyfriend didn't know that.

"Wait…wait" James tried to speak between kisses.

"What" Anna asked, frustrated. She didn't want to talk. If she talked to him she would realise that James was not Nikolai.

"We have to be careful" she looked at him with a questioning look, "Christine…"

She smiled with lust in her eyes, "I promise I'll be very quite…"

After saying this she went back to what she was doing. She started unzipping his jeans and when he finally entered her she kissed him in order to prevent a cry to come out.

He entered the house. Lots of men were using the house, men that he worked with. Most of the girls were already taken but if Nikolai wanted any of them the men would gladly make a trade. Everyone knew that Nikolai was the one that took care of Kirill's businesses, so he was kind of their boss.

He picked one blonde girl, Irina. How he knew her name? He didn't know. Maybe because he had taken care of her documents so she could enter the country.

He took her to the room upstairs and fucked her from behind. He didn't want to look at her face; he just needed to get the jealousy out of his system. As he had sex with the girl he had Anna in his mind and the nights they had spent together. God, how he wished Anna was there…

**A/N** - Anna is getting _horny_, people! Please, review!


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